TEN THINGS I LIKE ABOUT WINTER

Oh dear. So much for my BIG IDEA of doing a monthly blog... sort of a "here's where I'm at" sort of thing. But that's just one more instance of the expectation not meeting the reality. Darn it, gotta work on not procrastinating so much. Maybe tomorrow. 

Meanwhile, since I finally got around to writing again, I thought I'd keep up my practice of looking for the bright side, the silver lining, etc, etc, Since we've still got some winter to go (darn it) I thought this would be a great time for me to be positive and so, I present to you my list of-- Ten Things I Like About Winter. 

1) It's not any colder. When I step outside and my face freezes and my eyes tear, that's what I keep repeating... it could be colder, it could be colder. And I try to be grateful for that. Twenty degrees? It could be minus twenty. Okay, maybe I gotta work harder at looking for the bright side... 

2) A surprise snowfall. Ah, now I'm getting somewhere! Especially when you're curled up at home with plenty of milk and bread and no where you have to be anytime soon. Being able to look outside and just watch it fall can take your breath away. 

 

3) The morning after a big snowfall. Early, before the melting has begun, before footprints, before anything... when the sun is up and the brilliant white is everywhere. When every branch is piled with snow, every bush, every rooftop... and if you're really lucky you can spot a few icicles catching the sun and sparkling like long diamonds. 

 

4) Snowmen. Not even having to make 'em yourself- but being out after a good snow and seeing the fruit of someone else's labor (my neighbor Sisco and his kids make a pretty good snowman). They come in all sizes, similar shapes but different apparel. And they always crack me up. 

 

5) Hot Chocolate. Especially after you've been out with the cold biting at your face. 

 

6) Umm.... there has to be more things to like about winter. Lemme see... I know! TV!! Yup, lots of good excuses to watch TV cause it's too cold/snowy/windy/dark to go out and do stuff. Yeah... television... 

 

7) Man, this is getting hard. Okay, here's another one- in honor of the couple of pounds that some of us pack on during the winter months- you can justify it by calling it INSULATION! Yeah, it's not bad at all! It's my body just helping protect me from freezing to death. Nice. Somebody pass me another Twinkie. 

8) Oh boy. Eight... Geez. Well, maybe I'll have to make this Eight Things to Like About Winter. Well, there's... uh.... how about... no, that doesn't work... 

Okay, I surrender. I can't come up with 10 things to like because winter is dark and cold and nobody really likes it at all, do they? I'm trying to put a positive spin on it and rack my brain for the good in winter and the best I can really come up with is this: My personal favorite thing about Winter. It's followed by Spring. Cause I simply love Spring. Come on, Springtime!! 

 Maybe the best thing about winter is that it makes Spring all that much more precious and delicious because winter itself is the season to just survive. Right? So there you go... not quite 10 but some things to like about winter. And the promise of spring.... by which time I should be able to get another entry in this blog. By the way, if you can come up with anything you actually like about winter, I'd love to hear it. Meantime, I gotta go put on some more hot chocolate.

A DAY IN MY LIFE

People always ask how early we get up- those of us who cover the first shift at WALK... And, of course, 3:30 am does sound brutal. But really, it can be kind of nice... It's a very peaceful way to start the day. Just me... with Riley at my side (literally. Like glue.) Rosie just opens one eye to acknowledge me and then goes back to sleep, lucky dog. We tiptoe through the house and then I slip out the door, taking a minute to enjoy the stars twinkling in the silence. Even the birds are still sleeping that early. I just love the early morning.
The drive to work brings me back to being little and leaving for vacations while it was still dark to get past the city before the world woke up. There's always a sense memory of excitement and adventure.

I get to the station and hit the ground running, catching up on what's new , gathering the ShowBiz Buzz, going through the email... getting filled in on the daily musings of the WALK Breakfast Club - Mark, Tommy (our Producer), Pat Pagano, Donna and once a month, Psychic Jeffrey Wands. We've got a full house there in the morning. And then there's always a lot of horsing around to do. Sometimes I wish we had a camera rolling cause what goes on when the mikes are off is every bit as amusing as what goes on the air. Sometimes even more.

Once we're done for the day, I either drive off to a voiceover job (I simply love doing voiceover work- radio commercials, voicemail systems, corporate videos) or head back to Riverhead to the glamorous office of Gotta Go Cruises, the cruise agency that I started with my best friend Lain and our pal Flo. Just three gals who fell in love with cruising and want to share the love. We must be doing it right because this year we're celebrating our 11th Anniversary!

By the late afternoon, I'm picking up Catherine from high school. And heading home to stay.

Dinner isn't my favorite time of the day. But a gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do. So, somehow I manage to feed us every night. And having recently watched "The National Health Test" and having to answer "how many times a week do you eat fast food"... the guilt of admission is prompting me to be more conscientious. Luckily for me and Lorenzo, I don't consider Julia's Pizza fast food.

By the time dinner is done, I am toast. I spend the remainder of my time stretched out on the couch, eyes on the tube, remote in hand. Ahhh... I love TV. Most of the shows I really love get axed (Ed, darn it), but there's always a good re-run on TVLand... like Bewitched (but only with the old Darrin), Oprah, Ellen, Dr. Phil (but he's getting a little Jerry Springerish lately), Psych, Project Runway... And sometimes I'll just surf from 2 to satellite infinity and back again...

But even with the wall-to-wall schedule, I'm thinking I may need something else.
Something more. Something to shake things up a little... but what could I do?
A dance class? step, two, three... Step, two, three....
Learn a foreign language? Nyet. Nine. Nope.
Take up sculpture... or I could just grab a jar of Play-Doh or some Silly Putty.
I could invent something. But I don't have any ideas...
I'm always thinking about writing a book... but that never goes anywhere.

Guess I'll have to work on something. Got any ideas???

Who would do this to their cat? Or do you think the cat is pleased, bringing out its inner warrior? Anyway, this picture just cracks me up.